


Chosen

by Hannah_Girl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ancient Egyptian Deities, Angels, Apocalypse, Archangels, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Charlie Bradbury is Bobby's daughter, Demons, Elemental Magic, F/F, F/M, Fairies, Greek Lore, Heaven & Hell, Jo/Gordon walker toxic relationship, M/M, Multi, Platonic Relationships, Plot Driven, Polyamory, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Strangers to Lovers, Torture, aztec lore, greek Titans - Freeform, hindu lore, norse giants, norse lore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:46:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22270510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannah_Girl/pseuds/Hannah_Girl
Summary: In an AU of season one, two rebellious angels enlist the help of a team of hunters and vampire slayers to help them fight off heaven, hell, and other god pantheons, off of which are ready to make their wars on the Earth.
Relationships: Aaron Bass/Kevin Tran, Castiel/Hannah (Supernatural), Charlie Bradbury/Anna Milton, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Jo Harvelle/Dean Winchester, Rowena MacLeod/Meg Masters
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4
Collections: Fanfiction Writers United Adventure Collection, Fanfiction Writers United Alternative Universe Collection, Fanfiction Writers United M/F Collection, Takeout Tacos





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Please note that tags may change as the story goes. Things evolve, things get darker, angstier, etc. If there are any trigger warnings that pop up, I will warn of the particular chapter and I will change the tags accordingly. So just keep that in mind, that I don’t necessarily know how dark things will get at this point as I tend to let my muse do the writing. Also, note that side pairings are often known to change in my stories too, so be aware of that as I will alter the tags for that too. Nothing is certain.

**Highway One outside of San Luis Obispo, California**

"I don't know about this, Dean," Sam spoke up as he gazed out the window at the scenery outside. As the impala barreled down California's coastal highway, the ocean, glistening as the sun beamed down on it, seemed to be both taunting him and beckoning him. It was reminding him of what was behind, the prospect of that normal life that he thought he had managed to finally achieve, that after two years he had begun actually to believe it was happening- had so quickly been stolen away from him by the same thing that had brought them to this life long ago.

"What, I already called Charlie, and she's eager to join in," Dean replied as he kept his eyes on the winding road, the wind flying through his hair as his arm dangled out the opened window.

"You know Bobby is going to kill us when he finds out," Sam pointed out as he thought about the ornery old drunk and how he was going to react when he found out that they had dragged his daughter out of school when she had only been there a few months. At least Sam had gotten two years. Two wonderful years of pretending he was a normal kid with a normal life.

Sam wanted to blame Dean. To think that if Dean had never shown up at his college and convinced him to go on that hunt, perhaps Yellow Eyes would have never tracked him down and Jess would still be alive. But even through his grief, he still couldn't blame his brother, after all, did he really fit in? Jess never knew the truth about him. He'd kept her in the dark about his home life, maybe if she knew would she have wanted anything to do with him in the first place?

And now they were about to pluck their cousin up from the possibility of normal life, and Sam had to wonder what they would find when they got to Los Angeles and what Charlie would have to give to join them.

Of course, Charlie had been less reluctant to leave the life of a hunter. She had gone to college at Bobby's insistence. Sam had no doubt she would be eager to join them in the search for their father.

"Dad wants us to continue in his footsteps," Dean explained. "Hunt down Yellow-eyes once and for all. And then continue in the family business. And Bobby might hate it, but Charlie is just as much a part of it as we are, she grew up in the life too."

Sam had heard the story many times. Of how Bobby's wife had become possessed by a demon, and he had been forced to kill her, and Charlie had been left without a mother when she was barely out of diapers. As Bobby was the primary contact for many hunters and maintained a network of hunters all over the continent, Charlie had no choice but to grow up in the life too. Just like Sam and Dean had.

"Look, Dean, I just want to find Yellow Eyes and take him out," Sam told his brother. "And find Dad. After that, I'm out."

"Just like that?" Sam couldn't miss the tone of accusation in Dean's voice. "I mean you ran away before, so I guess it doesn't bother you to abandon your family again."

Sam had to bite his tongue to avoid snapping back at Dean. Nothing mattered more to the elder Winchester than loyalty and family, and he saw Sam's attempt at being normal as a betrayal. How could Sam make him see?

Sam didn't respond to Dean's accusation and instead, just focused on the scenery. He leaned back as Dean cranked up the volume of his music, purposely, to drown out any response Sam might have come up with.

As the impala rounded the curve in the road, something came into view that hat Dean suddenly slamming the breaks and Sam flung forward, his head colliding hard with the dashboard as his seatbelt restrained him.

As the car screeched to a halt and Sam took a moment to recover himself, the slow trickle of blood moved into his eye from the impact with the dashboard and his head throbbed. He blinked, trying to shake out the fuzzy feeling in his mind before shoving the door opened and hurrying out to the front of the car too.

The figure lying in the middle of the road seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. As the brothers rushed over, they found a man laying on the asphalt, his beige trenchcoat shrouding his prone body as he lay on his stomach, his arms tucked underneath him.

"Is he…" Sam knelt beside the man while Dean pressed a finger to his neck. There was no response to Dean's touch, but as Sam looked, he thought he saw the rise and fall of the man's back indicating breathing.

"He's alive," Dean confirmed before gently grasping the man's shoulders and rolling him onto his back. The movement received a grunt from the man but nothing more.

"I don't think he's injured," Dean said as Sam looked over the man's pale face. "At least not from what I can see. But help me get him into the impala so we can take him to the hospital."

Sam complied and grabbed the man's legs while Dean hoisted his upper body into his arms. His head lulled against Dean's shoulders while his bright blue tie flung up in the wind. There didn't seem to be anything unusual about the man; he was dressed in a basic black business suit, his thick crop of brown hair disheveled slightly.

Sam helped Dean get the man into the back seat of the impala, and as they did that, Sam checked all of the man's pockets for any ID but came up empty-handed. "Nothing," he said. "No wallet, no phone, not even ten cents. Maybe he got robbed."

"Maybe," Dean agreed thoughtfully as they both got into the car. "Whatever the case, it's probably not our thing, so let's just get him to a hospital."

Sam knew what Dean meant by 'our thing.' He suggested that there didn't seem to be anything supernatural about this man, no case, no need to stay any longer than was needed. But something nagged at Sam's consciousness- besides the throbbing headache. He wanted to understand why this man had suddenly appeared in their lives and what his appearance meant.

Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

**Hastings, Nebraska**

Jo rolled her eyes as she cut across the dark, barren cattle pasture back towards town. She jiggled the keys in her hands while shuffling her duffle bag full of weapons strapped across her shoulder.

Despite the police officers at the crime scene denying her access, claiming she looked too young and 'delicate' to be able to handle the scene, she had managed to close the case on the chupacabra attacks without anyone's help.

But now, as she reached the edge of the dimly lit town and headed back towards campus, she pulled out her cell phone and had to roll her eyes when she saw four missed calls and a voicemail from her mother. As she put the phone to her ear and listened to the recorded voicemail, her mother's all too predictable voice shouted warnings and demanded to know where she was.

"Joanna Beth, you had better not be out hunting!" her mother had shouted. Jo had to smirk to herself as that's precisely what she had been doing. She knew her mother didn't approve, but she was in college now, living on her own, and she could start hunting on her own. Her mother thought she would be safely enjoying dorm life at this small religious college, and that's what she was doing by day. But by night, she was the local ghostbuster. She was sneaking into haunted houses, crime scenes, and other places that warranted a paranormal investigation.

As she made it to campus and moved towards her dorm building, Jo was suddenly aware of how quiet the world was around her. No crickets chirping, no frogs croaking, it was as if the whole world had gone still. Any trained hunter knew how to listen to the animals; they always knew when something wasn't right.

Eyes darting around to every tree and bush, Jo carefully put her phone away and slipped a hand around the hilt of her knife which rested securely in her belt. As she neared her dorm building, she heard a sudden crash and the bushes around the dumpster shuttered vigorously.

"Who's there!" she demanded as she turned her attention to the dumpster just as a shadowy figure darted behind the large white dumpster. "Don't bother hiding I already saw you."

The movement stopped. After a few moments, the figure slipped out from around the dumpster and moved towards her. Jo backed up cautiously as the thing began to approach.

"I require a place to stay," the soft feminine voice sounded shaken and fragile, and as the woman stepped into the light of an overhead lamp, Jo could see why. She was completely naked, and Jo could see cuts and bruises all over her body as she shivered, the thick bangs of her dark hair shielding her eyes as she kept her gaze to the ground.

"You look like you need clothes too," Jo pointed out, a pang of sympathy as she worried about what might have happened to the woman. Quickly, she dropped her duffle bag and pulled off her dark green hunter's coat and handed it to the woman. "Did you get assaulted?"

"I escaped," the woman replied, finally lifting her gaze. Her face was caked in dried blood, and grime and Jo had to gasp a little when she saw the slice across her neck.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Jo said. "My roommate is out of town, but my RA doesn't allow visitors, so you'll have to keep quiet." She grabbed her duffle bag and led the woman into her dorm building.

She lived on the fifth floor, a typical small cramped dorm room with two single beds, two desks, two dressers, a closet, and a small dorm sized fridge. The room was heavily decorated with random wall art of landscapes and portraits.

"My roommate is an art major," Jo explained as she flipped on the lights and let the woman come in before closing the door behind her.

Now, in the light, the true extent of the woman's injuries was revealed. Jo tried not to let her jaw drop in awe as she scrutinized the woman's appearance. Bruises and lacerations- some very deep- covered the woman's skin. Dried blood and grime were painted over her body, especially on her back were what looked like whip marks crisscrossed her skin. As Jo motioned for her to sit, she gazed up, and Jo got a better look at that slice across her neck.

"How are you still able to walk?" Jo wondered as she dug through her duffle bag to retrieve her first aid kit. "I'll be back I'm going to get some rags and stuff from the restroom."

It only took her a few moments to hurry downstairs to retrieve some fresh towels, water, and rags from the student restroom area before she hurried back to find the woman sitting precariously on the bed.

"I'm Jo by the way, what's your name?" Jo asked as she brought the supplies over and sat down on the bed beside her and began to clean some of the wounds.

"Hannah," the woman replied softly as she winced while Jo brushed some strands of hair back and began to clean the wound on her neck. The hunter was relieved to see that the injury was not as bad as it had looked at first glance. It had already stopped bleeding, and it wasn't very deep- but how she must have gotten it disturbed her.

"Who did this to you, Hannah?" Jo asked, a hot feeling of anger rushing over her as she thought to herself how she would make whoever did this pay for it.

"Demons," Jo raised a brow not quite comprehending what she said for a moment. But Hannah continued. "They captured me as soon as I fell… they hacked into my factory settings…"

"Excuse me?" the woman made herself sound like some sort of computer. Factory settings? "What are you a computer chip?"

"I don't understand that word," Hannah informed her. As Jo glanced at her face, noting her large blue eyes and soft features, she could tell that there seemed to be something a little off about this woman.

"I'm a hunter, I've never encountered a demon in my line of work but uh… what are you exactly?"

"I'm an angel of the lord," that response had Jo scoffing in disbelief.

"Yeah, and I'm Jack Frost," Jo mocked. Hannah looked at her, cocking her head slightly to the side like a confused bird.

"I thought your name was Jo," she replied. Jo frowned. She considered the fact that maybe Hannah was telling the truth. After all, why else did she give off the distinct aura of some lost child?

"Yeah just a joke," Jo explained as she finished cleaning and bandaging Hannah's neck and back. "So uh… an angel. I'm not sure I believe in that sort of thing, you know? Could you prove it? I mean do you have wings or harps or anything?"

"My grace was ripped away, the demons have it," Hannah explained. "I'm human now… it's disconcerting. I have these… strange feelings."

"Feelings?" Jo wasn't sure what that meant. But she finished up with the last of the wounds. With the blood and dirt cleaned off, the woman looked much less like a mugging victim. Jo got up and went to her dresser and pulled out a pair of pants and a shirt and handed them to Hannah. "What sort of feelings?"

"Well, there's a strange sensation. Here." She patted her stomach, and as she did so, her stomach rumbled angrily, and she winced in discomfort. "I don't know what it means."

"Are you hungry?" Jo guessed. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Never," Hannah replied. "I developed this feeling not long after I got to Earth."

Jo frowned. "Alright, get dressed, and I'll take you to get something to eat," she said. "And you can tell me more. It's not every day I get to rescue a damsel in distress, you know?"

"I'm not familiar with that term," Hannah replied. Jo groaned.

"Oh, boy," she muttered under her breath. This was going to be exciting. But she already felt connected to this woman somehow. That she had to help her whatever her story was. Jo wasn't someone who usually believed in things like fate, but if she did, this certainly felt like a sign. She'd grown up around hunters, and none of them had ever mentioned angels, but Jo had no reason to doubt that Hannah was who she said she was, and in any case, the woman seemed utterly lost and out of her element. She would depend on Jo to protect her, so that was precisely what Jo intended to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean tore through the streets of San Luis Obispo on his way to the hospital. As long as he had been doing this job, he knew that saving people was the one imperative that he clung to. Seeking out monsters and creatures that others didn't even know existed was taxing, and it wouldn't be worth it without the reward of knowing that there were people out there who were alive because of Dean and other hunters like him.

Dean was young. Only 26 years old. But the weight of this life already weighed on him. He'd seen more death and misery in his short life than most could experience in a lifetime. He'd seen things that would haunt his dreams forever. He did it for the thrill, the adrenaline, but he also did it because he knew that even if no one else knew him, he knew his efforts paid off.

It was for this reason that Dean found himself swerving through traffic, the impala's brakes screeching in protest as he barreled towards the hospital.

"How is he Sam?" his brother glanced behind him from the passenger seat to peer over at the man lying prone across the back seat.

"Still out. No wait-"

The abruptness in which the man was suddenly sitting straight up, his blue eyes meeting Dean's in the rear view mirror startled them both.

"Stop the vehicle," he mumbled in a hoarse voice as he cleared his throat.

"We're taking you to the hospital," Sam explained. "We found you out in the middle of the road and-"

"Yes, the voyage down here was taxing," the man said. "I'm not at my full strength. Now please, stop the vehicle. There is nothing your human doctors can do for me."

Dean slowed down, blinking in confusion as he began to drive normal again. "Look, buddy, you probably could have picked a better place to take a nap than in the middle of a highway." he scolded.

"Well… when last I was here your roads weren't nearly as sophisticated. Nor were your vehicles." The man glanced around at his surroundings regarding the interior of the impala for the first time.

"What were you doing out there?" Sam asked. "And who are you? Or what?" As Sam said those words, Dean worried that they had picked up the wrong person. He thought about all of their weapons which were all out of reach inside the trunk of the impala.

"My name is Castiel, I'm an angel of the lord," those words were met by an indignant scoff from the driver's seat.

"Oh yeah and I'm Friar Tuck," Dean mocked, rolling his eyes. In all his years of hunting, he'd seen creatures that he'd always thought were myths: vampires, werewolves, wendigos, and a whole plethora of various types of ghosts and spirits. And as much as he was convinced in his belief in the paranormal, there was never any inking in his mind that angels could ever be a part of the package.

Dean had never been much of a believer in things he couldn't see. He had seen vampires, so he believed they existed. He had seen ghosts, so he knew they existed. But the divine and holy? He'd never given it much thought.

"You are Friar Tuck?" Castiel furrowed his brows in confusion. "Forgive me, but you don't seem particularly chaste or pious to me."

"He means he doesn't believe you are an angel," Sam explained as Dean frowned at Castiel's confusion.

Dean sighed and turned his attention to the town. Quickly spying a small motel at the end of the street, he turned into the parking lot. "Alright, look," he began as he parked the car and pivoted around in his chair to face Castiel. "I don't know what you really are, but we're going to get a room here, and we are going to have us a little interrogation session, and if you don't tell us what your real story is, it's not going to be pretty for you, got it?"

"Yes," Castiel didn't seem particularly intimidated by Dean's threat, he still looked more confused than anything. Dean felt irritated. He didn't have the time or the desire to play 20 questions with some paranormal being that he was probably going to knife anyway. Just the confirmation that Castiel wasn't Human was more than Dean needed. In this job, he was always sure of one thing. If it's human it lives, if it's not, it dies.

"Sam, get us a room and take him in there and see that he doesn't go anywhere," Dean instructed.

Sam got out of the car, and as Dean got out and went around to the trunk, Sam was there standing over him.

"Dean, I don't think we should dismiss him so quickly," Sam said. "Maybe he really is an angel. I mean, why not?"

"Come on, Sam," Dean said incredulously. "You're not seriously buying that are you? Angels aren't real. If they were don't you think some hunter somewhere would have encountered one by now?"

"I don't know," Sam said with a shrug as he watched Dean open the trunk and grab a few knives, guns, and some various tools he thought he might need and shove them into a duffle bag. Dean wasn't quite sure what they'd need, so he made sure to include the usual. Silver, holy water, salt, iron, things that typically did the trick for monsters they'd hunted in the past. He quickly glanced around him to make sure no one was watching and promptly slammed the trunk shut and threw the duffel bag over his shoulder. He turned to Sam. "All I know is he's some sort of creature, and that means he's going down."

Sam sighed and opened the rear door for Castiel, helping the trenchcoated man out of the car. Dean watched for a moment as the two strode across the parking lot towards the motel lobby. For only a very brief moment, Dean felt a nagging doubt. Castiel didn't seem particularly threatening. The way he leaned slightly on Sam and the clueless, almost innocent way he looked at them gave Dean cause to doubt.

But Dean pushed that aside. Just because he seemed cute now didn't mean he'd stay that way and Dean didn't plan to wait around for him to turn on them. But before he headed after them, he thought ahead. He pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed a number. He smiled when he heard Charlie's voice a moment later.

"Hey Dean how far away are you two?" Charlie asked cheerfully. Dean groaned as that nagging feeling reappeared in the back of his mind. He shouldn't involve Charlie in this. He knew he shouldn't have involved Sam either. Sam had tried to escape a hunter's life, and Dean couldn't accept that so he took the first chance he could to haul his brother back into the fray. He knew he was being selfish, he knew he shouldn't interfere, but he'd done it anyway, and now Jess was dead, and Sam's brief, blissful life was gone in an instant. Now he was doing the same to Charlie.

Despite that doubt and the promise of guilt that he'd no doubt face later, Dean heard himself respond. "Hey Charlie, we're going to be longer than anticipated, would you mind coming up and meeting us instead? We're in San Luis Obispo."

Charlie didn't hesitate. "Sure," she said. "Text me your location, and I can drive up tonight." Dean hung up the phone and quickly texted Charlie their address. As he stared at his phone screen, watching the message send and be received, that nagging voice screamed at him that he shouldn't have hit send.

Unlike Sam, Charlie didn't leave the job voluntarily. Sam had walked out on their father- on Dean- after a long heated argument and had never looked back. Dean was still resentful, still bitter. But Charlie had gone to college because Bobby had insisted she try to get out of the life while she could. When Bobby heard about Sam's choice, he quickly jumped on that bandwagon for Charlie. Bobby was a seasoned hunter- like John Winchester- who knew that once you were in too deep there was no getting out- and while he'd raised his daughter alone and taught her how to be a hunter, he'd only taught her enough for defense. He was determined that as soon as she was old enough to be on her own, she'd give up hunting and go live that normal life.

Dean felt guilty even more. He should have let Sam have that too. His little brother deserved to have happiness. But Dean couldn't do what Bobby could. He would drag his brother and his cousin back into the fray simply because he couldn't face the job without them.

After he finished his call, he found the room Sam had gotten for them and made his way inside. He saw Sam sitting at the table, perched backward in his chair facing the foot of the second bed where Castiel sat at the edge, his hands neatly folded in his lap.

"Alright, ready to get this show on the road?" Dean threw his duffle bag on the first bed and slammed the front door behind him, clapping his hands firmly together as he sat down on the first bed and faced Castiel. "Spill."

"Spill what, Dean?" Castiel asked innocently. "I have no liquids to spill."

"Alright enough of the clueless puppy crap. Tell me what you really are so I can waste your ass."

"I'm an angel, Dean," Castiel repeated. "And I'm here for a reason. I need your help. I haven't been on Earth for a long time, and I'm afraid I'm a little out of practice. I need your help tracking down another angel."

"Another angel?" Sam blinked as he and Dean exchanged glances. "Look, why is it that no one has ever heard of you? No hunter has ever encountered an angel."

"We don't seek encounters with humanity often," Castiel explained. "And when we do, it's only when following orders. There is a bigger issue at work here, Sam. You see, the apocalypse has begun."

"Apocalypse?" Dean scoffed incredulously, and the turned and dug into his bag, pulling out his favorite silver knife. "I've had enough of this." With that, he promptly plunged the knife deep into Castiel's chest, causing Sam to back up quickly.

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed, getting to his feet. But to their surprise, Castiel glanced down at the blade before pulling it out and dropping it to the floor. A bright, brilliant blue light emitted from the wound and it quickly healed up, disappearing completely in seconds.

"We do not have time for this," Castiel explained, a note of irritation in his voice as his demeanor turned slightly more serious. "The seven deadly sins have been released from Hell; this angel, we must hunt down is responsible. She defied heaven and led a siege into Hell, forcing the gates of Hell opened and releasing the deadly sins along with many other demons."

"Deadly sins?" it was Dean's turn to feel confused. "You mean like not lying about your age and not swearing in church?"

"No, demons," Castiel explained. "Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, and Wrath. They are seven powerful demons that have been released from Hell and are now roaming the Earth. Our task is to hunt them all down and return them to Hell."

"So this rogue angel, any idea why she'd let them free?" Sam asked. Sam seemed more willing to listen while Dean rolled the information around in his head. He and Sam hadn't had many dealings with demons. And neither had most hunters. There were a few encounters, but they were said to be more myth than reality.

"My superiors believe she grew tired of her duties in heaven and became rebellious," Castiel explained. "When she was confronted, she murdered the angel who confronted her… this… sort of crime does not happen in heaven. Killing one of our own, it's unheard of; it's abhorrent."

"Yeah well, it kind of happens all the time down here, so you get used to it," Dean shrugged. "She sounds like a real bitch."

"She's an angel, not a female dog, Dean," Castiel corrected before continuing. "We tried to apprehend her for her crime, and as punishment, she was banished to Hell. Much like Lucifer was. While there, she began releasing demons and they were able to help her escape onto Earth. Now, we know she is here somewhere and graceless."

"Graceless?" Dean raised a brow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Our grace, our essence is what gives us power," Castiel explained. "Without it, we are human. And mortal."

"So what is it Angel kryptonite?" Dean tried to piece it all together. "You mean that blue light that healed you just now?"

"Yes," Castiel replied. "Which is why we have an advantage over this angel. Without her grace, we can kill her, and those are my orders."

"Do you have any idea where she might be?" Sam asked Dean's younger brother seemed to contemplate the situation thoughtfully and with interest.

"I am not the first angel to be sent to find her, there have been two other attempts, and she's managed to kill the other two angels. The last one was somewhere in Kansas; I believe she was reported to be moving northwards from there."

"Okay great," Dean said, clapping his hands together as he stood up. "We happen to be heading in that direction; we just have to wait for Charlie to get here."

"Dean, I think we should leave Charlie out of this," Sam implored as Dean pulled off his shoes and jacket and reached for the remote to the TV. "And what makes you think Dad is in Kansas?"

"Too late I already called her," Dean said abruptly, not giving Sam a chance to interject. "And maybe because that's where mom is. Seems like a good place to start."

Sam sighed, and Dean felt the same reservation about venturing to their hometown. He and Sam both knew that their mother was buried in the cemetery there and Dean had thought that perhaps their father might try to head back there at some point. That is if he was able to.

Dean reluctantly put his blade away. He wasn't sure why, but after their talk, he felt more inclined to believe Castiel. He wasn't quite sure he trusted him completely, and he hadn't discounted the possibility that they were being manipulated and mislead, but there had been no indication of doubt or insincerity in the angel's blue eyes and being able to read others was a honed skill both he and Sam had picked up as hunters.

So they settled into their motel for the evening and awaited Charlie's arrival, and Dean tried to shake this feeling that this was going to turn into something big.


	3. Chapter 3

_As Jo wandered through the desolation all around her, her heart pounding as the thick smell of smoke and burning ruins filled the air; she wondered how it could have come to this. She'd never imagined she'd witness this sort of absolute destruction of everything she loved._

_As she walked through the smoldering ruins of what was her college town, she could see the burnt-out shells of buildings that once housed shops and restaurants she had frequented. Her favorite pizza joint, the coffee store, the little liquor store where she bought her highly caffeinated energy drinks proven to keep her awake during class lectures after spending a night hunting vampires and ghosts and anything else that she happened to get wind of; all gone._

_Fires still raged all around her, yet she didn't feel their heat. And through the dark embers around her, she could see movement. Bodies were writhing in the shadows. Crawling, scratching as they lumbered towards her, their painful whimpers growing louder. As they came closer, Jo gasped at the sight of them. Flesh hanging from bones, the sight and smell of blackened, charred flesh, wide deranged eyes pleading to her._

_"What did this to you?" she shouted into the wind as strong gusts kicked up sparks and heated air, ruffling her hair._

_"You did," they called. "You could have saved us!"_

"No!" Jo shot up in bed, gasping for breath as adrenaline coursed through her. She was in her bed. Safe in her dorm room, and everything was calm. Just a dream… just a dream… just a- her thoughts were cut off when she glanced at her study desk to find Hannah sitting motionless in the chair staring intently at her.

"Shit…" she murmured as she raked a hand through her blonde hair. "How long have you been sitting there watching me sleep?"

"All night," came the angel's reply. "Angels don't need to sleep. You seemed quite active during your deepest REM sleep cycle."

Jo groaned as she blinked, trying to get her bearings. The memory of that nightmare was still lingering in her mind as she got to her feet. "Don't you have anything better to do all night?" she muttered as she stumbled to the closet to pick out her typical wardrobe of jeans, a dark blue ridged tank, and a blue and white plaid button-up shirt.

"I'm an angel," Hannah replied as if that should be the only answer Jo required. Jo turned to study the woman for a moment. She still wasn't convinced of Hannah's angel story, but the clueless, almost naive way about her was enlisting Jo's protective instincts. She was like a lost child and just looking at her, Jo could tell she'd been through hell. Perhaps literally.

"Alright well here, I need a shower, and you probably do too, and then I'll take you to breakfast. Sound good?"

"Sounds good," Hannah echoed as she followed the hunter out of the dorm room and towards the showers.

A refreshing shower and a strong cup of coffee had done the trick of pushing that disconcerting dream out of Jo's mind as she found herself sitting in the cafeteria of her dorm building, a plate of sausage and scrambled eggs doused in Tabasco sauce before her.

"So, let's go over your story again," Jo began as she watched Hannah curiously inspect her own platter of breakfast, a skeptical look on her face. "You're an angel, and you escaped from demons? On Earth or in hell?"

"Hell," Hannah began as she took a breath, eyes darting to one side as she recounted her story. "It began with them. And with Raphael."

"Raphael? The ninja turtle?" Jo raised a brow as she took a sip of her coffee. Around them, the cafeteria was mostly empty though a few students gathered in the scattered ensemble of tables and chairs and a few lingered in the cafeteria line. It was a lazy Tuesday morning, and many students were just trying to get something to eat before hurrying to class, which is probably what Jo would be doing as well if she hadn't found herself babysitting. She'd thought about the criminology classes she had that day and had already mentally planned to skip them for the day.

"He is an archangel, not a reptile," Hannah corrected, a puzzled look on her face. "And he doesn't know any martial arts. He gave me an order- an order I followed. But when I returned to heaven, I found the whole of heaven turned against me. They said I acted impulsively, that I disobeyed an order. I tried to defend myself… I didn't mean for it to get out of hand, but before I could redeem myself, I was cast out, banished to hell like Lucifer! I…" Hannah glanced away, anger overwhelming her. Jo watched her intently.

"Wait, Lucifer, he's real?" Jo wondered before leaning forward in her chair, studying the brunette intently, waiting patiently for her to be able to compose herself.

"Yes," Hannah said simply as she turned back to face Jo. Her blue eyes were full of a kind of sadness that struck Jo to the core. There was no doubt in the hunter's mind that Hannah believed her story, and Jo found herself sympathizing with her. She wasn't sure of the details, Hannah managed to tell her enough while still being too vague for her to get an accurate account of what happened. And Jo was still stuck on the notion of angels and heaven and hell, but she felt angry on Hannah's behalf.

"So they told you to do something, and then they changed their mind and punished you for doing that thing?" Jo tried to summarize what she was hearing. "They sound like dicks."

"I managed to escape from hell but not without consequences," Hannah said solemnly. "In my escape, I accidentally released many demons onto Earth. And angels are hunting me as well."

"Wait, so you are on heaven's most wanted list?" Jo groaned, face-palming in frustration. "Great. Just what I needed this semester."

"We need to ward this building against angels," Hannah told her as she glanced around at their surroundings nervously. "Without my grace, they will find it hard to track me. And-"

"Excuse me?" Jo was so engrossed in what Hannah was telling her that she hadn't seen the dark-haired woman dressed in a green coat and jeans approach their table. Jo glanced up at the young woman who carried an anthropology text to her chest while a black book bag was strapped across her shoulder.

"Do you need help?" Jo asked cautiously as Hannah watched with suspicion. The young woman nodded.

"Could I sit here?" she asked, her thick monotone voice denoted a possible hearing condition. "There aren't any other seats."

Jo glanced around them and was surprised to see that in the time they had been talking, the cafeteria had managed to fill up with students, and all the tables were indeed occupied. The hunter worried that their conversation had been carrying.

"Yeah sure," Jo offered to the woman. "Although we were finishing up here." That wasn't exactly true, but Jo suddenly felt the need to take Hannah to a more secluded location. As a hunter, she'd mastered the skill of being discreet when dealing with the paranormal. No one would believe the truth and be likely to react negatively to it and cause more trouble for a hunter.

The newcomer nodded her acknowledgment, though the look that clearly denoted disbelief threw Jo off slightly. Jo shrugged it off and got to her feet, grabbing Hannah by the arm, glancing back at the other woman who watched them with interest. "Excuse us," she said quickly before hauling Hannah around the corner to a nearby janitor's closet. The small room full of mops and chemicals and a little light bulb illuminating the space around them provided a secluded atmosphere where they could speak without the fear of evesdroppers.

"Okay look I'd like to help with all this angel stuff but I'm not quite sure what I have to do with any of it," Jo pointed out, crossing her arms across her chest as she stared at Hannah. "I mean just because I'm a hunter doesn't mean I know magic. I-"

Jo was about to continue, about to figure out why she of all people had somehow walked into this situation and what she could possibly do to help a celestial being who was far more powerful and ancient than anything she had ever come across. But just as she opened her mouth, she was cut off by a bright, brilliant glow that shot around the closet, so bright that Jo had to shield her eyes.

As Hannah stood there, nervously and Jo covered her eyes, the glow finally dissipated and combined into the form of a woman. A beautiful woman adorned in a flowing white chiton. Her impossibly white-blonde hair was plaited as it entwined in the green vines that encased her head.

"Let me guess, angel?" Jo surmised as Hannah quickly averted her eyes from the woman and fixated on the floor.

"No," the woman corrected, her voice harmonious and almost musical. "I'm Athena, the goddess of wisdom. And I'm here to seek your help, Joanna Beth Harvelle."

Athena glanced at Hannah as if noticing her with only a sideglance, and then blatantly disregarded her, almost purposefully as she focused solely on Jo. Jo picked up on the tension between them and raised a brow.

"What, let me guess you two go way back?" Jo commented, glancing at Athena pointedly. First angels and demons and now the greek pantheon? What next?

"Heaven doesn't have the best relations with other realms," Hannah explained, keeping her gaze to the ground. "I'm forbidden to speak to her."

"Rightly so," Athena said hotly. "After the messes, your kind has made in the past." Jo could almost feel her brain do flip flops inside her head; she was so confused and lost.

"Guess I must have missed that sermon at Sunday school," Jo commented. "Okay, look. Just tell me what you want and what it has to do with me. I don't have all day."

"Jo, you are chosen," Athena began. "You see, the titans have been released from their eternal prison in Tartarus. It's your responsibility to defeat them and put them back before they destroy the universe."

At first, Jo wasn't sure she heard the goddess correctly. She wasn't even wholly convinced this wasn't all some elaborate illusion and that she wasn't passed out in a field somewhere after too much to drink. But whatever the truth was, Jo decided right then and there that she had had enough.

"Nope, I'm out," she said, holding out her hands before reaching for the door. "Find some other mortal peasant to play your games with; I have more important things to do with the next millennium."

As Jo grabbed the door, it suddenly became hot, and she quickly released it with a gasp as searing pain coursed through her hand. Holding her now blistered palm, she turned back to Athena.

"It can only be you," the goddess warned before promptly fading away, leaving Jo alone in the closet with Hannah who glanced at her, a sheepish look on her face.

"What the hell," Jo demanded to the angel, who only shrugged. "Did you know about this?"

Hannah shook her head. "As I said, we don't interfere with the affairs of other realms… that is, we don't anymore. We learned our lesson."

"So what happened, did you piss off the wrong god?" even though Jo was overwhelmed and wanted nothing more to be away from this entire situation, she felt compelled to dig a little further. She didn't know why she was suddenly being thrust into this situation, but she certainly wasn't a stranger to the paranormal. She grew up in the Roadhouse, she'd been around hunters all of her life, and she'd constantly found herself underestimated because of her age and lack of experience. Maybe this was her chance to prove to her mother and other hunters that she was just as capable.

Of course, she figured taking out a few vampires would have been more than enough, she certainly wasn't expecting to be some sort of superhero all of a sudden.

"It's not important what happened in the past," Hannah replied to her earlier inquiry. "And I wasn't there personally; I only know that my older brothers, the archangels, had some unfortunate incidents with Mount Olympus, Asgard, and several other realms belonging to other gods and goddesses. For that reason, we angels have been sworn to stay out of their affairs."

"Well at least tell me about these titans," Jo requested with a sigh. "Can they destroy the world?"

"Yes," Hannah confirmed without hesitation. "As can our own apocalypse. If these titans have been released while I had unintentionally released the demons from hell and triggered the beginning of the apocalypse, it can be most unfortunate for the Earth."

"Lovely," Jo commented with a sigh. She felt almost responsible for Hannah in a way. She could tell from the solemn expression that she didn't want to be in this situation either. It seemed that they had both been shoved into this so suddenly and against their will. Maybe Hannah was just a victim of her circumstances.

"Look, we'll stick together in this," Jo reassured her, putting an arm on the other woman's shoulder. "Let's just take it a step at a time okay? You can start by showing me how to keep the Heaven patrol out of here."

Hannah nodded, and Jo turned the doorknob again, happy when it didn't burn her as it had before. But, upon opening it, they nearly ran into the woman standing in the hall, waiting for them.

It was the woman who had sat down with them earlier. Jo felt irritated that she followed them and might have been listening, but recalled her earlier realization that the woman was deaf.

"Who are you?" Jo demanded. "Why are spying on us?"

"I didn't hear you don't worry," the woman said, pointing to her ears. "But… yes, I followed you. I came to find you. My name is Eileen Leahy, and I think we have some things in common. I think the three of us should talk."

Jo only exchanged confused glances with Hannah before reluctantly agreeing and following Eileen, worrying that she was in for yet another bombshell. That made three all within a few hours. Maybe she'd suddenly become a magnet for these things. What else could possibly go wrong today?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to do a heads up for a major change in the direction of this fic. Basically, this has turned into a crossover fic with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy will be making her debut in the next chapter, but I just wanted to tell you all to take a look at the updated tags.

Early the next morning saw the impala cruising 1-15 at top speeds. Rocky desert surrounded them as the sun was just starting to peer over the horizon, engulfing the world in a brillance of orange and yellow hues. 

There was something hauntingly beautiful about the desert, and as Sam watched from the passenger seat, far out in the distance, he watched a lone hawk swoop down on something unseen on the desert floor. He wasn’t sure why but something about that tranquil scene of nature haunted him. Like this was some sort of sign or omen he should be listening to.

Sam blinked, trying to shove those thoughts from his mind. Growing up, a hunter had taught him to be suspicious of things, but he had to remind himself that sometimes, the things he saw around him were perfectly normal. People still went about their lives; nature still dazed with her splendor.

And even as he thought that Sam rolled his eyes at the irony of it all. Normal every day things happened to  _ other _ people but not to him or his family it would seem. No matter how hard he had tried to run away from it, the hunter’s life found him again, and here he was in the car that had been his home since he was a baby. 

Sam glanced behind him at the rear seat passengers. Castiel sat stoic and silent, gazing out of the window, a pensive look etched into his soft features. Sam wondered what he was thinking about. They’d just met him, and he had dropped all of this information on them all, but looking at him now, it was hard to picture him as a divine being. He just looked like a man; a man who had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Sam could sympathize.

Next to the angel was Charlie, who scrolled through her phone, earphones attached to her ears, effectively tuning her out of the world. Sam still questioned her being there with them. John wasn’t her father, and this angel business had nothing to do with her. She was young- as was Sam, and she shouldn’t be here with them. Sam resented Dean for dragging her into this. And him. But… did he really? Somehow, he wondered, would he have truly been able to live that normal life? Would he have gone to law school and married Jess and pulled off the normal life? Or would the hunter’s life have somehow found him eventually no matter what he did to stay away from it? He couldn’t blame his brother for the fact that once you get too far in with this life, there was no getting out.

“We’re coming into Mesquite,” Dean announced, his voice projected against the serene calmness of the world around them, and startled Sam as he turned his attention back to their surroundings, noting that the desert landscape had been pushed to the background, to be replaced by the buildings, lights, and concrete of a small town.

“I need to stop for gas, and I saw a sign for stacked pancakes and extra bacon at some cafe so I’d say it’s time to fill up,” Dean continued as he exited the freeway and headed for the nearest gas station. “Although I really think we should have stopped in Vegas and tried out the poker table. I’m feeling lucky today.”

“Dean we don’t have time for side trips,” Sam reminded him as the impala came to a halt at the nearest gas pump. “We’re here for two things. Find Dad and figure out this angel stuff, and that’s all.”

“Yeah whatever, Sam,” Dean responded, rolling his eyes as he opened the door. Sam sighed. He felt the frustration well up within him as he watched Dean head for the building to pay for the gas and to load up on caffeine. Dean made it a point not to listen to reason when he was trying to get his way.

“I’m starving,” Charlie murmured from the back seat. Sam turned to her and smirked. He realized he could use something to eat, as well. But he noted that Charlie had taken her headphones off and she was now pinning Sam with large questioning eyes. 

“So how was Los Angeles?” Sam asked, wanting to stir his cousin away from talking about what was most likely really on her mind. “You know, college and such?”

“It was alright, I guess,” Charlie shrugged as Castiel glanced in her direction as if noting her presence for the first time. “The beaches were nice. And the nightlife. The women are attractive but a little too pretentious and materialistic for my taste. I found a pretty awesome LARPing group though, and I just finished a quest to save the princess of High Fell from mountain trolls.”

“Trolls?” Castiel questioned. “I wasn’t aware of those sorts of monsters on this planet.”

“Cute,” Charlie replied, giving him a side glance just as Dean returned and finished up with the gas. He tossed a bag of beef jerky next to him on the seat, forcefully, as if to announce to everyone his sour mood.

“Buzz kill,” Charlie mumbled under her breath as the impala peeled out of the gas station. Dean ignored her. Predictably. They drove through town in awkward silence until Dean pulled up to the local restaurant. Sam noted the advertisement for pancakes in the window and rolled his eyes. After a life on the road eating in cheap diners or gas station quickie marts, he had long since gotten sick of the same, mundane meal choices of rural America but Dean could never get enough. Sam was at least grateful that he got to enjoy a little variety while he was going to Stanford.

A short time later, Sam was crowded into a booth with Charlie while Dean and Castiel sat across from them. The short curly-haired waitress greeted them with a hot pot of coffee and a cheery smile.

Just as his brother turned to her, armed with his suave grin and a suggestive wink, Sam couldn’t help but smirk when Charlie quickly cut him off with a cheeky grin of her own. “Hey I love your hair,” Charlie commented with a broad smile and a sly wink as she noted the name tag on the woman’s uniform. “Chelsea.”

The waitress smiled. “Thanks,” she said happily. “Hey, why don’t I start you and your friends all off with coffee and maybe some freshly baked buns on the house? Sound good?”

“Great,” Charlie agreed and watched the waitress hurry off before turning to acknowledge the dumbfounded look on Dean’s face. “She’s cute, isn’t she?”

“I don’t understand what just happened,” Castiel commented. “Isn’t the waitress obligated to bring us a meal?”

“Well yeah, but I just scored us free bread,” Charlie pointed out before shrugging in Dean’s direction. “Better luck next time, Dean.”

Sam grinned. It wasn’t often that his flirty older brother had any competition when it came to hitting on the various women they encountered while on a hunt. But if there was anyone who could match him in wit and charm, it was Charlie. 

As they waited for their meals, Sam felt his stomach growl. He was hungrier than he realized and he was beginning to think stopping further back, perhaps in Vegas, wasn’t such a bad idea. That is until voices from the booth across the aisle from theirs began to carry.

“What do you mean I can’t have the applewood smoked bacon!” a man in a business suit proclaimed as his waitress stood at his table, trying to explain her position.

“I’m sorry,” the middle-aged blonde woman explained. “We’re all out at the moment; the chef has gone to get more so if you don’t mind waiting.”

As Sam and his party looked on, the man scowled as he began to glance around him at the other patrons, a panicked, almost desperate look in his eyes.

“The bacon must be killer,” Dean commented as the man’s eyes fell on them. He quickly got up from his seat and shoved past his waitress, hurrying over to them.

“What did you order?” the man demanded hotly. Sam noted his tense stance, and as he gripped the table aggressively. “Tell me, right now! You better not have ordered the bacon!”

“Calm down, Pal,” Dean responded, holding up his hands in an attempt to diffuse the situation. “We haven’t even ordered yet.”

“Sir, I need you to return to your seat or I'm going to have to ask you to leave,” the waitress warned just as Chelsea returned with their bread with a concerned look on her face. 

The man ignored both waitresses and began to circle the restaurant, inspecting every table. Sam was about to brush the situation off, chalking it up to the man having some sort of mental breakdown, when there was a startled scream behind him.

Sam had barely enough time to turn around in his seat before the crazed man pulled out a small revolver and began to open fire on the entire restaurant. Instantly, everything erupted into chaos as the four of them instinctively dove for cover under the table.

“Great,” Sam heard Dean mumble sarcastically beside him. “Just what I needed to add to such a fantastic morning.”


	5. Chapter 5

If there was one thing that centered Jo Harvelle's mind and soul, it was the wide-open road and her bright red '65 mustang. The car had been a gift from her mother and Ash when she first got her driver's license, and it had been her one constant companion ever since. She'd driven it to the Roadhouse so many times, that these roads had become as familiar to her as her own room.

But today, as she sped through the state of Nebraska on her way to an obligatory visit to said Roadhouse, she didn't quite feel as grounded as she had hoped. She glanced at the passenger seat as Eileen Leahy as she explained her story. In the back seat, Hannah listened patiently.

"I'm deaf," Eileen explained as she focused her gaze on Jo's lips. "But I can read lips so… it wasn't exactly hard to figure out what you were talking about in the cafeteria. I'm a hunter too. Just… more of a specialist."

"Specialist?" Jo glanced at her, making sure to face her when she talked to make it easier for Eileen to read her lips, while also trying to keep an eye on the road. "So I take it you understood all that apocalypse, hell demons stuff we were discussing?"

Eileen nodded. "So you want to tell me why you two went into the supply closet?" she asked. "I mean I obviously couldn't read your lips from a closed-door, but I saw lights."

"Athena wants Jo to kill the titans," Hannah blurted out abruptly before Jo could respond. She leaned forward to look at Eileen as she spoke. "It would seem that they got out of the Tartarus somehow."

"Gee thanks, Hannah," Jo mumbled as Eileen nodded as she seemed to process that information. Eileen stared out ahead for a moment before turning to Jo to continue with her own background.

"Athena. Okay. So, I fight Celtic and Norse monsters," Eileen explained. "Banshees, Dearg due, giants, trolls, dullahan, and a whole host of different types of fairies. I am a champion of the goddesses Brigid and Freya."

"Fairies?" Jo couldn't help but smirk a little. "They exist?"

"Yeah they're from a different realm," Eileen explained. "There's good ones, bad ones, and pretty shitty ones. I tend to focus on the shitty ones."

"So what can I call you, the fairy slayer?" Jo chided. She glanced back at Hannah. "Let me guess, not your realm either?"

Hannah only shrugged. "Great," Jo lamented. Even as she pondered what she'd seen and heard over the past day, she had to admit that she felt like she was finally getting the recognition she had been looking for all her life.

Jo had grown up around hunters. And as much as her mother pushed her to be 'normal' and have a normal life, all she wanted to do was to be a hunter. She knew the life, at least she thought she had. Now it felt as though she was suddenly getting what she wanted tenfold. She swallowed as she thought about how her mother would react.

"So Eileen, tell me how you got started," Jo began after a moment of silence as the three of them contemplated. "As a hunter, I mean."

"It was a banshee," Eileen explained. "It killed my parents and left me deaf. I was raised by my adoptive mother- who was also a hunter. She trained me. We lived in a small Irish village that seemed to be plagued by fairies and other creatures. We became the village protectors- not that those assholes ever appreciated us. The village was mostly catholic, and the village priest told everyone we were witches and pretty much got us paraded out of town. Problem is… I am a witch."

"You are?" Jo listened to her story and was impressed. Eileen got to grow up a hunter, and she got to fight monsters, her mother even trained her! Jo wished her mother had been so understanding.

"Yeah, I studied witchcraft under a witch named Rowena who happened to be passing through Ireland after I'd left the village," Eileen explained. “But while I was training, I had a dream where Freya the Norse god came to me and told me it was my job to protect the world from the Jötnar and prevent Ragnarök. She told me my answers could be found here. When I saw you two talking, I thought it best for us to stick together."

Jo pondered all of that. It occurred to her that Hannah, the fallen angel with a price on her head, Eileen, the Celtic and Norse fairy slayer, and her, Athena's 'chosen one' were all misfits all with steaming piles on their plates. Jo wondered how it was that she'd suddenly stumbled onto these two, but she was glad that she had. She'd look after them.

As she pulled into the front of the Roadhouse and parked, she glanced at the two of them. "So this is a hunter's bar," she explained. "I was raised here, but my mom isn't exactly okay with all this hunter's stuff. So keep the apocalypse and end of the world stuff to yourselves. And especially the Athena stuff."

"I understand," Hannah responded curly as they all got out of the car and headed inside. The Roadhouse looked just as it did last time Jo had visited. Ash snoozed on top of the pool table, and her mother was busy polishing the bar. Of course, as soon as her daughter entered, Ellen Harvelle turned and fixed her and her friends with a glare.

"Joanna Beth I've been trying to get a hold of you for days," she scolded as Jo, Hannah, and Eileen approached the bar. "I already know you've been hunting so don't try to feed me some lie, I'm not buying it."

Jo opened her mouth to try to defend herself before Ellen held up a hand to silence her. Ellen glanced at Hannah and Eileen, who stood on either side of Jo. "Oh hell," she murmured, and before either of them could react, she quickly produced a flask of holy water from behind the bar and splashed both girls in the face. 

"Not a demon," Eileen said as she blinked, wiping her now wet face while Hannah did the same.

"Mom, these are friends of mine," Jo explained. "This is Eileen Leahy and Hannah… er," she glanced at Hannah, wondering if she should invent a surname for the angel. "Uh, Hannah Smith."

"Yeah I'll bet," Ellen said in a tone that clearly said she didn't believe her daughter. Hannah opened her mouth to protest but was cut off when the door burst opened behind them.

The sound of the door startled the sleeping Ash, who promptly fell off the pool table. But Jo couldn't help but smile when she saw who came through the doors.

"Gordon!" she exclaimed as she rushed over to throw herself into Gordon Walker's arms, hugging him tightly. 

"Hey Sweet cake," the hunter greeted as he strode in, happily picking her up and swinging her around. It was no secret to those who worked at the Roadhouse that Jo and Gordon had been dating for a time. Of course, the hunter was always in and out, off to hunt a new case and always brought tales of his exploits back for Jo to eagerly hear about. Jo still noted that her mother seemed less bothered by her dating a hunter as she was about her actually becoming one.

Jo walked back to where Eileen and Hannah were watching, just as Ash got to his feet and sauntered towards them.

"Gordon, Ash, this is Eileen and Hannah," Jo introduced and rolled her eyes as she noticed the look on Ash's face as he looked over the two women.

"Heaven must be missing them a pair of angels," he greeted. Hannah frowned at the predictable attempt at a pick-up line.

"They know I'm missing," she explained. "They just don't know where I am. And Eileen isn't an angel; she's a witch."

Jo frowned and quickly glanced at her mother, who fixed her with a hard glare. "An angel?" Ellen repeated. "Really, Jo?"

"Angel," Gordon approached, quickly pulling out a knife. "I didn't think they exist, but I'm totally up for bagging one." 

"Wait!" Jo exclaimed, quickly maneuvering herself in between Hannah and Gordon. "Hannah's my friend. I won't let anyone hurt her. Or Eileen for that matter, she's a hunter too!"

"Born and raised," Eileen said as she crossed her arms and fixed Gordon with a glare. "I'd like to see you try."

"Don't tempt me, Bitch," Gordon replied. "I don't like witches either, don't care whose side they claim to be on."

"Gordon," Ellen's warning tone warned the hunter off of the angel and the witch, and he turned his attention to her. "Was there a reason you dropped by?"

"Oh yeah," Gordon replied. "I'm on my way to Mesquite, Nevada. Some psycho shot up a restaurant for not having any bacon. At first, I just thought it was the case of some psycho, but then I learned about another incident four hours away in Provo, Utah. Someone prom queen blew another girl's brains out over the perfect prom dress."

Jo listened to that and glanced at Eileen, seeing the acknowledgment in her eyes. Eileen really was a hunter, and if Gordon was heading for Nevada, then Jo would head for Utah. But when Jo turned to Hannah, she frowned. The angel looked alarmed by the news.

"What's wrong, Hannah?" she asked. Hannah glanced at her; her blue eyes seemed to search for words. 

"That sounds like Envy," she explained. "The demon."

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the risk of giving away spoilers for this story, I just wanted to assure you that the whole Gordon/Jo thing won't last, it's just a source of conflict for the plot.


	6. Chapter 6

Charlie Singer was no stranger to the unexplained and the unknown. She thrived on it. Despite her father's attempts to steer her away from the life he had chosen, she had been determined to be a hunter.

Despite her experience, as she huddled under the table with Sam, Dean, and Castiel, waiting for the shooting and the chaos to stop, she had to wonder how she found herself in such a situation. 

"Drop your weapons!" the sounds of sirens and the booming voice of authority pierced through the chaos around them, and Charlie held her breath, straining to hear. There was a brief pause and then a final volley of gunshots and then nothing.

Charlie's heart pounded in her throat as she waited. Beside her, Dean was the first to make a move. Cautiously, he inched out from under the table they were all crouched under and craned his neck out to see what was happening. Charlie exchanged concerned glances with Sam as she waited.

"It's alright, everyone," came a voice, and Dean got to his feet and motioned for everyone else to follow. When Charlie got to her feet and surveyed the scene, she saw the carnage all around her. Several bodies lay on the ground, or draped across tables, including the young waitress who had been waiting on them. She lay in a pool of blood only a few feet away from them, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

There was glass everywhere, and as Charlie walked around to the other aisle of booths, she found the shooter lying dead on the floor, a trio of uniformed police officers standing around him.

Before Charlie could say anything, Dean was quick to take advantage of the situation as he tugged at Sam, and the two of them approached the cops. Charlie was left standing there with Castiel, watching.

"Hey, officer," Dean greeted in his most professional business voice. "How many victims do you have here?"

"We've got about five confirmed dead and lots of injuries," the police explained. "Would you like to give a witness statement?"

"We'd be happy to," Dean replied, glancing to the side. Charlie recognized that look as the look her cousin often gave when trying to come up with a good story for local law enforcement. One that would grant him access to the situation.

"My partner and I are a couple of off duty FBI agents; we'd be happy to meet you at the station to see if there's a way we can lend a hand."

"FBI," the short stocky cop with the sandy blonde mustache looked them both over suspiciously, then cast a glance to Charlie and Castiel. "And who are they?"

"Just friends of ours," Sam put in. "As my partner just said, we were off duty when this happened." 

"If you are FBI agents, then you must have heard about the incident in Provo," the cop questioned. Dean and Sam exchanged glances before Dean put on his best attempt at deceit and nodded.

"Yeah, of course," he said. "We were about to head up there before everything went down here."

"Officer, maybe we could take a look at your police files," Sam's calm, reasonable voice coupled with Dean's convincing air of confidence seemed to satisfy the cops. They nodded their consent.

Dean motioned to Charlie, and the four of them headed outside while the police and the coroners who had just pulled up, went about their jobs. Once outside, Dean turned to Charlie.

"You take Feather boy over here and get us a motel," he suggested, Charlie's mood quickly souring. "Lay low until we get back."

"What the hell!" Charlie protested. There was no way she was going to be dismissed like some third wheel. "We're on a case involving who knows what, and I have to babysit?"

"Look if Bobby knew-"

"Bullshit!" Charlie cut him off. "You're the one who called me out here, Dean. I didn't come to just tag along; I want a piece of the action."

Charlie realized she sounded like a kid trying to tag along with her big brothers, but she didn't care. It enraged her to think she was going to be dumped to the side while Sam and Dean went off on a hunt that seemed to have been dropped right in their laps.

"Look," Sam put a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "We don't know what's going on, but Cas here needs someone to look out for him. And we'll need you to get a head start on the research. Get online, find out anything you know about crimes in the area; we need to see what this might be."

"I already suspect what this might be," Castiel's monotone voice had them all turning to him. "The errant way the man was acting, that sounds like Envy's work."

"Envy the demon?" Dean rolled his eyes. "Great. Well, just the same, you are sticking with Charlie for now, capiche?"

Castiel cocked his head in confusion, and Charlie groaned before turning to him. "Come on, Feather Boy," she directed as she gazed around at their surroundings. The parking lot was swarming with emergency workers by now; victims were being loaded onto stretchers and into ambulances, while others sat on the concrete crying or staring out at nothing. A large crowd of bystanders had gathered just beyond the crime scene tape.

Beyond the chaos, Charlie retrieved her laptop and her duffel bag from the impala and handed them off to Castiel, all the while mumbling to herself about her disdain over having to babysit. "Hold on to these," she instructed harshly, glancing at him with some guilt. It wasn't his fault, and she shouldn't take it out on him, but she was reeling over the whole thing.

She knew she shouldn't be so surprised. It had always been like this with the Winchesters. They were seasoned hunters who grew up on the road, and she was just a motherless young woman hoping to tag along with her cousins on their daring adventures. All her life she had wanted to be like them but was all too often disappointed. They wanted her along like a comfort blanket but always stopped short at letting her really join in. 

This wasn't the first time she'd been deposited at some motel and given the task of 'research.' And she was quite good at computers and tech, so it was undoubtedly a skill she could handle. She knew how to hack into just about every government website out there and was a master at cracking codes and learning secrets. 

But, as she walked through the streets silently, using her phone to guide her, she promised herself that this was going to be the last time she was left behind. She wasn't a child anymore, and Sam was only a few years older than her. If he got to be in on this, so did she.

As she glanced at Castiel, she regarded him for a moment. He walked beside her, glancing around at their surroundings while he clutched her computer and bag. Charlie realized that this wasn't just babysitting the lost angel, but maybe this was her chance.

"So," she began, prompting him to look in her direction. "What's your story? Are you really an angel, do you have wings?"

"I do have wings," Castiel confirmed, though he didn't offer up much else in the way of conversation. He trotted along beside her, silent, continuing to stay vigilant.

"Then, where are they?" Charlie prompted as they arrived at the motel and made their way to the lobby.

Castiel glanced at her as if he hadn't expected her to question his answer. He shrugged. "Invisible," he offered. 

"Not much of a conversationalist are you," Charlie commented as they got into the hotel lobby, and Charlie approached the front desk. The woman who stood up to greet them had Castiel tensing up as he stood beside Charlie at the counter. Charlie raised a brow before looking the woman up and down. A petite redhead with high cheekbones and pale greenish-gray eyes. She gave Charlie a pleasant smile, not bothered by the strange reaction the angel had to her.

"Need a room?" the woman asked, focusing on Charlie. Charlie nodded with a suave smirk as she looked at the young woman up and down.

"Yeah, definitely," Charlie replied as her eyes darted to the name tag sitting on the desk. "Anna."

Anna returned the smile and typed in a few commands to her computer before turning around and grabbing a pair of keys and handing them to Charlie. "Room 4," she said. 

Charlie took the keys, "room 4, got it," she winked suggestively before turning and grabbing Castiel by the arm and hauling him out. Charlie couldn't shake the fact that there seemed something off about the young woman like she gave off a presence. Of course, it could be the fact that Charlie had found her instantly attractive. 

But her attention turned to Castiel as soon as they got inside the room. The angel wore an unnerved expression as he moved further into the room, inspecting the surroundings as if he expected someone to be there.

"What's your deal?" Charlie asked as the angel placed the things he'd been carrying onto the table and then began to pace back and forth, a perplexed scowl on his face.

"She was an angel," Castiel replied. "A fallen angel. I… found her. She'd been lost when she fell and now… we just happen to run into her."

"You mean she's the one you've been looking for?" Charlie questioned as she stood in front of the door. "The one who let all the demons out and all that?"

"No," Castiel replied as he continued to pace. "No, she's not Hannah. Her name is Anna. She fell years ago, and we lost track of her location. She… used to be my commander. My superior. I looked up to her. She's a traitor. I have to get rid of her."

"Wait hold on," Charlie held up her hands in warning. "No one's getting rid of anyone. That girl didn't seem to be a threat, and you can't just waltz over there and kill her."

"Why not?" Castiel looked genuinely confused. "Heaven has been searching for her for years. When she fell, she parted from her grace, and her memories of being an angel are contained in her grace, but that's beside the point."

"Wait, so you're telling me she doesn't even know she's an angel?" Charlie stood firm in front of the door. She didn't quite understand the details of the situation, but she couldn't live with herself if she allowed Castiel to kill this girl without some justification. "How could you even tell who she was?"

"No, she has no memory," Castiel replied. "But even a fallen, graceless angel retains a certain mark. I could see it."

"Look, settle down," Charlie demanded, folding her arms across her chest. "I'll get online and see what I can find out about the woman. We'll wait for Sam and Dean to get back, but you're not to go anywhere near that woman until we find out for sure that she's a threat, got it?"

Castiel didn't answer right away. He frowned, blinking as he seemed to be processing what she was demanding of him. 

"Got it?" she repeated firmly. Castiel reluctantly nodded.

"Only because I need you and your cousins to help me find Hannah," Castiel replied. "I can't navigate this complex society you humans have down here without help, and we can't afford to be distracted by Anna's sudden appearance."

"Yeah, fine," Charlie replied as she moved towards the table, confident that she'd managed to prevent Anna's murder. "Anyway, I think Anna totally digs me, and you are so not going to get in the way of that."

"Digs you?" Castiel looked even more confused, and Charlie had to sigh.

"Nevermind. Just… sit there and watch HBO or something while I do some research." Charlie began to set up her computer, eager to dig up some information about Anna. She couldn't help but remember the connection she seemed to feel for the other ginger, and she was determined that Anna could not be a threat and that her being here was to their benefit, not their hindrance. At least now she could prove to Sam and Dean that she was a hunter too.

  
  



End file.
